A GUNMAN with a “macabre interest” in the Dunblane attacker built firearms and explosives for a “revenge” plan on ex-classmates before he was shot by police, a court heard, PA reporter Ted Hennessey writes.

Warehouse worker Reed Wischhusen, 32, of Wick St Lawrence, wrote of a “hitman-style attack” on 10 people, shooting dead teachers and throwing bombs at his former school and killing police staff, prosecutors say.

On November 28, 2022, police officers were forced to shoot Wischhusen three times after he pointed a handgun at them while they searched the house for weapons, a trial jury at Bristol Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

Wischhusen, who survived and was in hospital for four months before his arrest, denies having an explosive substance with intent to endanger life, having an explosive substance, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life and possessing a prohibited firearm without a certificate.

He has admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate in relation to the handgun incident last year.

Jonathan Rees KC, opening the trial, said: “Over a sustained period of time, Mr Wischhusen, who had a macabre interest in infamous killers such as Thomas Hamilton of Dunblane and Raoul Moat in the UK, and the ‘cop hater’ Ralph McLean in the US, and also in mass shootings and bombings such as the Columbine Shooting and the Oklahoma Bombing, set about attempting unlawfully to build – in his own words – a ‘small armoury’ of firearms and explosives.”

In a 1,700 word document written by Wischhusen, he said: “Revenge is on my mind, it’s a powerful motivator.”

Jurors heard phase one of Wischhusen’s alleged revenge plan was to kill 10 people using a converted pistol with a silencer, while wearing disguised clothing and a wig.

Mr Rees told jurors the defendant had listed ex-classmates, teachers and police staff, who he believed had wronged him in the past, as targets.

Wischhusen planned to spare two police staff so they would feel “survivor’s guilt”, citing Hamilton as inspiration for this, the prosecutor said.

He would then walk into his old school, Priory School, in Worle, to shoot and kill teachers and throw pipe bombs before evading police, the court was told.

The alleged plan would culminate in an attack on Avon and Somerset Police’s headquarters, where he would either plant and detonate pressure cooker bombs before opening fire on staff with sub-machine guns or ambush officers and enter the building to let off explosives, the prosecutor claimed.

After this he planned to kill himself, the court heard.

The trial continues.